Yoshinobu Yamamoto: A look at the differences between the Dodgers’ and Yankees’ deals for his signature
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Japanese free agent right-hander that the New York Yankees tried to sign but failed to do so.
The fact that the teams’ offers are similar supports the idea that Yamamoto might have liked the Dodgers more than any other team.
Sources who were informed on both offers say that the Yankees promised Yamamoto a higher average annual value compared to the Dodgers, a prior opt-out, and more money within the first five years.
And when it came down to his last three choices, Yoshinobu Yamamoto knew he had the upper hand.
Even though the 25-year-old had never thrown an inning in Major League Baseball, he had money offers that most people could only dream of.
Jack Curry of YES Network says that the New York Mets and the New York Yankees both made an offer of $300 million to Yamamoto.
The Dodgers were ready to go above and beyond to get the three-time MVP of the Japanese League, though.
After making a record-setting $700 million deal with Shohei Ohtani and a $136 million deal with Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers chose to spend all of their money.
Yamamoto was happy to take the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offer of $325 million over twelve years, which came from general manager Brandon Gomes. Yamamoto struck out 856 batters over 820.1 innings and had an ERA of a very low 1.65.
Curry says that the Yankees thought $300 million was already a very good deal given what was going on.
Yamamoto would have been the fourth-highest paid Yankee player, after Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, and Aaron Judge, if he had agreed to the $300 million deal.
The outcome broke the hearts of the New York Yankees and their fans. Many Yankees fans have thought that the Yoshinobu Yamamoto deal was a done deal ever since general manager Brian Cashman visited Japan in September to try to sign Yamamoto.
At only 25 years old, Yamamoto was one of the few chances for teams to sign a young arm that was already very good.
It’s possible that Cashman as well as the Yankees would have been able to get an ace who would be an important part of the team for ten or fifteen years.
Now, the team will have to use older, less permanent names to fill in as pitchers. That was another loss for Brian Cashman with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But the Yankees can’t dwell on it right now because it’s still the summer.
The Dodgers have now spent more than $1 billion this summer. They sent an extra $50.6 million as a posting fee to Yamamoto’s old Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Orix Buffaloes.
Yamamoto, who was 25 years old, was one of the most sought-after free agents in 2023. Prior to coming to the MLB, he played officially in Japan for three years and won three straight Most Valuable Player awards or the Sawamura Awards, which are like the Cy Young Awards in the NPB.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a highly sought-after right-hander who is 25 years old, signed a 12-year, $325 million agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
If Yamamoto signs the deal and it goes through all the steps, it will be the biggest deal ever given to an amateur pitcher in MLB history.
In addition to the large posting fee that the Dodgers owe the Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto’s old team in Japan, they also owe an extra $50.6 million. When you add the filing fee, the Dodgers’ bill goes up by another $50.6 million.
Yamamoto’s deal is almost as big as Gerrit Cole’s $324 million deal with the Yankees for total pay commitment.